Acute Exacerbation of COPD associated with increased risk of CV Event

Acute exacerbation of COPD (AECOPD) is associated with the increased risk of acute cardiovascular events, according to a study published in the Journal of General Internal Medicine.

Tadahiro Goto et. al conducted a study to determine the association of AECOPD with 30-day and 1-year incidences of the acute cardiovascular events. Cardiovascular events refer to any incidents that may cause damage to the heart muscle.

The study included the self-controlled case series analysis using population-based datasets from three US states from 2005 through 2011 which included 362,867 patients with an ED visit or hospitalization for AECOPD aged ≥ 40 years with AECOPD.

The researchers compared the incidence of each patient’s acute cardiovascular event during the first 30-day period before the index AECOPD (30-day reference period) in comparison with that during the 30-day period after the index AECOPD. Taking 1-year period before the index AECOPD as a reference, the researchers also estimated incidence rate ratios (IRRs) for each patient’s outcomes during the 1-year period after the index AECOPD.

The study found that compared with the 30-day reference period, the incidence of the acute cardiovascular events in the 30-day period after the AECOPD was significantly higher. On a similar note, compared with the 1-year reference period, the incidence during the 1-year period after the AECOPD was also higher.

The study concluded that for each of acute cardiovascular conditions, the associations with acute exacerbations remained significant.

Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is a chronic inflammatory lung disease that causes obstructed airflow from the lungs. Symptoms include breathing difficulty, cough, mucus (sputum) production and wheezing. It is caused by long-term exposure to irritating gases or particulate matter, most often from cigarette smoke. Acute exacerbation of COPD is a sudden worsening of COPD symptoms (shortness of breath, quantity, and color of phlegm) that typically lasts for several days.

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